In one form of a mascara applicator, as disclosed in German utility model No 87 12 015, the mascara applicator comprises a mascara brush which is formed by a fixing element and bristles which are carried on the fixing element and which extend in a helical configuration along the length thereof, with the bristles defining a single brush diameter. The brush further includes a cap portion having a stem which projects in the axial direction of the brush from the cap portion and to which the fixing element is secured. The stem is provided with a retaining projection which, when the brush is inserted into a container forming a further part of the mascara applicator, comes into retaining co-operation with at least one other retaining projection on the container.
In another form of mascara applicator, as disclosed in DE No. 35 05 969 A1, the applicator comprises a mascara brush including a cap member with a stem projecting thereon and an elongate fixing element which is connected to the stem. The fixing element carries bristles which are arranged in a plurality of rows, being of greater and smaller lengths respectively. The rows of longer and shorter bristles may extend in the axial direction of the brush in a linear configuration or in a helical configuration. In production of such a brush, after bristles of the same length throughout have been secured to the elongate fixing element, the brush with equal-length bristles is subjected to a processing operation using a tool which is operable to reduce the length of specific bristles, whereby the bristles define two different diameters on the brush, with the larger diameter of the bristles being larger than the diameter of the opening of a mascara container into which the mascara brush is inserted. It will be appreciated that that manner of manufacture involves a not inconsiderable level of expenditure. Furthermore, while a mascara applicator of that kind provides good application of mascara and at the same time gives a good combing effect, after the mascara applicator has been used for a number of times, it is not possible to prevent the opening of the mascara container or the stem on the mascara brush becoming contaminated with mascara.